HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at Hampton University on Thursday on the first stop of her “Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour.”

The last time Harris came to HU was in 2021.

About 1,000 people were in attendance, including students, staff and volunteers, as Harris talked about issues ranging from gun violence to LGBTQ+ rights.

The White House said Harris’ tour is designed to mobilize students to fight for their rights, including other key issues such as reproductive freedom, climate change, voting rights and book bans.

“This generation is critical to the urgent issues that are at stake right now for our future,” Harris said. “It is young leaders throughout America who know what the solutions look like and are organizing in their communities to make them a reality. My message to students is clear: We are counting on you, we need you, you are everything.”

Vice President Harris said many rights are now under attack.

“And I’m talking about the freedom to make decisions about your own body and the choices you will make about your future connected with that,” she said. “The freedom to vote, the freedom to be and love who you love. The freedom to be free from gun violence.”

The vice president took questions from multiple members of student leadership including student elected Mr. Hampton, Sean Powell who asked what the government can do to curb gun violence.

“It resonates with me deep down, especially in schools, because I have three little sisters back home who have to worry about their safety every day in the public school system,” he told 10 On Your Side.

Harris answered the question by saying, “They can have courage, Mr. Hampton, they can have courage.”

She asked how many students had to complete active shooter drills in school.

After seeing a large show of hands, she described her gun control plans.

“We need assault weapons ban, we need background checks, we need red flag laws,” Harris said.

But Powell wasn’t the only one to pose an important question to the vice president.

With student loan forgiveness up in the air, student-elect Ms. Hampton Hannah Selders asked Harris how students can be expected to manage with rising tuition costs.

“I know a lot of my fellow students and colleagues they do have problems and issues with figuring out how to pay for school and figuring out what steps are next for graduation,” Selders said, “so being a graduating senior, I just feel like it was nice to pose that question and see what our administration had to say about that.”

In response to that question, Harris mentioned SAVE, a student loan plan that allows those who make under $30,000 per year to make no loan payments.

Before she exited the stage, she left students with a lasting message.

“And so, stay active because I and our country are counting on all of you, thank you,” she said.

10 On Your Side reached out to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office to hear his thoughts on Harris’ arrival, but has not received a response.

Youngkin’s administration has opposing stances on issues that Harris is fighting for. In July, the governor’s administration released policies regarding how LGBTQ students are treated in schools. Youngkin has also favored banning certain books within the Commonwealth.